Currently, information is displayed using assembled sheets of paper carrying permanent inks or displayed on electronically modulated surfaces such as cathode ray displays or liquid crystal displays. Printed information displayed in these manners cannot be changed. Devices that allow for the modification of information, such as electrically updated displays, are often heavy and expensive. Information may also be applied to sheet materials via magnetically written areas, for example, to carry ticketing or financial information. Such magnetically written data, however, is not visible.
Media systems exist that maintain electronically changeable data without power. Such system can be electrophoretic (Eink), Gyricon, or polymer dispersed cholesteric materials. An example of such electronically updateable displays can be found in U.S. Pat. No. 3,600,060, which shows a device having a coated, then dried emulsion of cholesteric liquid crystals in aqueous gelatin to form a field responsive, bistable display. U.S. Pat. No. 3,816,786 also discloses a layer of encapsulated cholesteric liquid crystal responsive to an electric field. The electrodes in the patent can be transparent or nontransparent and formed of various metals or graphite. It is disclosed that one electrode must be light absorbing, and it is suggested that the light absorbing electrode be prepared from paints containing conductive material such as carbon.
Fabrication of flexible, electronically written display sheets is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,435,047. A substrate carries a first conductive electrode, one or more layers of encapsulated liquid crystals, and a second electrode of electrically conductive ink. The conductive inks form a background for absorbing light, so that the information-bearing display areas appear dark in contrast to background non-display areas. Electrical potential applied to opposing conductive areas operates on the liquid crystal material to expose display areas. Because the liquid crystal material is nematic liquid crystal, the display ceases to present an image when de-energized, that is, in the absence of a field. A first flexible substrate is patterned which is coated. A second pre-patterned substrate is bonded over the coating.
The Fergason patent discloses the use of nematic liquid crystal, which absorbs light and does not maintain an image in the absence of a field. Dyes in either the polymer encapsulant or liquid crystal are used to absorb incident light. The dyes are part of a solution, and not solid submicrometer particles. The patent further discloses the use of a chiral dopant in Example 2. The dopant improves the response time of the nematic liquid crystal, but does not operate in a light reflective state.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,251,048 discloses a light modulating cell having a polymer dispersed chiral nematic liquid crystal. The chiral nematic liquid crystal has the property of being electrically driven between a planar state, reflecting a specific visible wavelength of light, and a focal conic state, transmitting forward scattering light. Chiral nematic liquid crystals, also known as cholesteric liquid crystals, potentially in some circumstances have the capacity of maintaining one of multiple given states in the absence of an electric field. Black paint can be applied to the outer surface of a rear substrate to provide a light absorbing layer forming a non-changing background outside of a changeable display area defined by the intersection of segment lines and scanning lines. A first glass substrate is patterned. A second patterned glass substrate is fixably spaced from the first substrate. The cavity is filled with liquid crystal.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,394,870 discloses directly depositing opaque conductive ink in an image wise pattern by screen printing. A conductor is printed directly over a polymer dispersed cholesteric material. Displays having such a configuration requires a light absorbing backing. The invention creates the light absorber by printing second conductors formed by screen printable carbon in a resin matrix. Carbon absorbs visible light, but also absorbs ultraviolet radiation that can be used to cure ultraviolet responsive conductive formulations. If an ultraviolet cured silver ink were used the reflection of the silver would create negligible contrast between the reflective planar and the transmissive focal conic states. The drying process for opaque conductive inks requires many minutes to cure the ink.
A photocurable silver composition is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 6,290,881, which comprises an ultraviolet light curable organic mixture, a photoinitiator, a silver powder, and a silver flake composition. The silver flake composition comprises at least 20% of the weight of the silver powder. The disclosed compositions may be used to produce silver-containing coatings on a variety of different substrates. However, this material is not disclosed for use in display devices.
Cholesteric liquid crystals reflect a portion of the visible spectrum when in a reflective state. It is preferable that the reflective state have neutral color balance. It would be useful to provide cholesteric displays exhibiting neutral density in the reflective state. It would be useful for such display to be fabricated using simple, low cost processes. Such processes should include inexpensive, high speed methods for forming second conductors.